A practical framework to give businesses of every size — from local employers to national companies — the tools and knowledge to hire people currently locked out of the labour market.
The Jobs Foundation Pledge is a practical framework to give businesses of every size — from the smallest local employer to the largest national company — the tools and knowledge to hire people currently locked out of the labour market, including the long-term sick and young unemployed.
The Pledge is designed for businesses of every size — from sole traders and growing SMEs to large national employers. For smaller businesses in particular, it provides access to proven approaches developed by the UK's largest employers, in a form that any company can adopt without a dedicated HR team or large budget.
The Pledge is being developed by our Employer Taskforce: a coalition of nearly 30 leading businesses — including AXA, BT, Shell, Marks & Spencer and NatWest — who have come together driven by a recognition that the scale of Britain's worklessness crisis demands collective action.
Contact us“A good job is the number one thing that we can give people to help them live a prosperous and happy life. The expertise to give more people that opportunity already exists within British business, but right now it isn't being shared, and it isn't being scaled. We can't wait to change that through the Jobs Foundation Pledge.”
Georgiana Bristol, CEO, Jobs Foundation
The biggest issues facing our welfare system are the challenges of youth unemployment and the growing number of people on long-term sickness benefits, which has risen by nearly 700,000 since COVID.
The total rise in inactivity and unemployment is equivalent to losing the entire working population of Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh combined.
Any mission to move people from inactivity or welfare into employment will require businesses to work together at scale — recruiting from welfare or inactivity, and sharing what works.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has set out the Government's ambition to transform Britain from a "welfare state to a working state". The Jobs Foundation Pledge is putting businesses at the heart of achieving that mission.
The Jobs Foundation Pledge will give businesses across the country a proven, practical framework — drawing on best practice from programmes including M&S' Marks & Start, Pret's Rising Stars scheme, and Greene King's Supported Internships programme.
The Pledge is designed to work for businesses of all sizes and all sectors. For SMEs in particular, it offers something invaluable: access to approaches that have been tested and proven by the UK's largest employers, packaged in a way that any business can adopt — without needing a dedicated HR team or large budget.
The expertise to give more people a good job already exists within British business. The Jobs Foundation Pledge is how we share it, and scale it.
“Businesses across the country have the knowledge and insight on how to successfully support people into work. If we are to do this at scale across the country, it's vital that businesses can learn from their peers about what works. We're delighted to be working with the Jobs Foundation on leading this mission.”
Hayley Tatum MBE, Chief People Officer, Marks & Spencer
“Being part of programmes like this allows us to help unlock opportunities for people of all backgrounds.”
Amanda Vaughn, Chief People Officer, AXA UK & Ireland
The Employer Taskforce, chaired by Octavius Black CBE, is the coalition of leading businesses developing the Pledge framework. The Taskforce brings together companies that have spent years developing effective approaches to recruiting and retaining people who face barriers getting into work.
The Taskforce is identifying what works — looking at how member companies recruit and retain individuals — and building this into a framework that businesses of every size can follow. This builds on our own research — Two Million Jobs and Ladders of Opportunity — which found that best practice in hiring people from disadvantaged backgrounds, while abundant, remains frustratingly fragmented across British business.
“The Jobs Foundation Pledge is being designed with the UK's pioneering employers — both large and small — to provide a national beacon for companies who want to get workless people into meaningful work. As a result, companies will be able to fill their skills shortage, the economy will grow and more people will lead healthier, fulfilling lives.”
Octavius Black CBE, Chair, Employer Taskforce
We invite businesses of all sizes to join the Jobs Foundation Pledge and the growing coalition committed to getting Britain working. Whether you are a sole trader, a growing SME, or a large national employer, the Pledge offers you a practical framework — and a community of like-minded businesses — to help you hire and train people who need a chance.
By getting involved, you will gain access to proven tools and approaches built by the UK's pioneering employers, and join a national movement to fill skills shortages while changing lives.
Contact usTo find out more:
Use Contact us, or email Georgiana Bristol, CEO
georgiana@thejobsfoundation.com
Join nearly 30 leading businesses already committed to getting Britain working — and help build the national solution to the worklessness crisis.
“Business: A force for good”